Christmas 2017 budget

[kydisneyfans]

$500-700 for our son-he's 18 now.
That number has actually decreased through the years.
Now it is usually an electronics item and a few fill ins.

This year's list doesn't have many pricey things on it. Now that he is working, when he needs something, it's off to Walmart to get it.

 

[wenrob]

I don’t have a set budget, I’ll know when I get there. We’ve had lean years, over the top years and everything in between. I learned a long time ago not to care what other people think, as a PP said, they don’t pay my bills. The younger two have moved past toys so there will be less under the tree but will most likely cost more. It’s rare that I ever pay full price for anything though. I follow the ads (and this board) and spend a lot less than people assume I do.

 

[richmond282]

We only have 1 DD13. My budget for her is usually $500 (it has gone up over the years, used to be $200, then $300... ) . But I don't always spend that much. I'm a huge bargain shopper so I figure out what i want to give her and then scour for deals. We always put 8 gifts under the tree for her. No specific reason other than it keeps me in check to not buy too much. And then I put smaller items in the stocking like socks, soaps, CDs, etc. I think I will be under budget this year which is spectacular.

I usually spend $25-$30 on my nieces and nephews who range in age from 3-14.

 

[cheap traveler]

This year we have: DD13, DD11, DS1, and DS5 months. 13 turns 14 in Jan, and 1 turns 2 also in Jan, so we have birthdays to consider in there.

Budget for my girls has been up and down, depended on my financial standing each year as a single mom. I'd say the lowest was $200 each when they were younger, highest on my own was around $375 each in a year we didn't go to Disney, so I had more available.

Last year was our first Christmas since remarrying. My husband went way over the top, because he didn't want them to feel like their brother got more (he actually got less, he wasn't even a year old!) We figured out that it was around $500 per girl! It was way too much, half the stuff was forgotten in a month, and some was broken in weeks (filler gifts he picked up when he bought for the baby, not high quality.)

This year I feel like the girls are done already - the notebook I use every year has a full page (it's not full sized lol) but my husband wants to get them more. I've used credit card rewards, coupon app savings, basically all the free money I've come across (I'm not working any longer,) so I've only spent around $125 each and it's more like $300 value each.

I've only started on the boys, because I know daddy wants to buy their gifts. I think their budget will be around $300 for DS1, and probably $150 for the baby - what do you get a boy who has everything from his brother?!

Birthday for DD is done, $38 ($100 value) and she will get spending money for her Washington DC trip

Birthday for DS will hopefully be a train table so $150 (less if I find used)

Nieces, nephews, friend's son all get around $20. Brothers and sisters don't exchange. And around $50 on my mother and grandmother. My husband handles his mom, she always wants cash.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Okay - so apparently I am the high. I have two grown daughters - one is 27 and the other will be 22 by Christmas. I spend around $2000 on each of them (probably a bit more). It's easy to get to that. One of them i getting a new Pandora bracelet (the jewelry store - not the theme park). That is around $1200. A Dooney Disney tote - $250. A new desk chair - $100. So that's around $1500 and it includes none of the fun small stuff. Add that in and you are at $2000 or so.

My oldest has a new boyfriend. He's been around for a year - so I am hoping to get away with $500 for him. If he is still here next year - more like $1000.

You are the nicest girlfriend's mom ever!!! What a lucky young man. So kind of you to include him.

 

[mrudman]

I usually don't have a set budget... it just all depends on what gift ideas pop into my mind each year. I sock money away from each paycheck through the year and usually end up with about $1500 to spend on both daughters. Some years I stay under that, some I got a little over.

This year, it's definitely going to be an "over" year. But I'm not fretting about it. I've been a single mom for 4 years now with absolutely no help from their dad (unable to contribute, long story I'm not going to go into)... But I work hard for my money being an RN, and Christmas time is when I like to spoil my daughters.

So this year, younger daughter (freshman in HS) is going to get a MacBook 12 inch, that she'll be able to use at school. And she'll get some accessories for it to go along with that. And I've gotten her a couple pretty candle holders and will get her a giftcard to bath&body works because she loves that place.

Older daughter (Junior in HS) is getting a ticket to go see Hamilton in Chicago. We're going to make it a family weekender trip with my mom, but just older dd and I will be seeing the show.
I cannot wait for her to get that one, cause she is going to flip, lol. Even though the WOW factor on the MacBook and the ticket will be the same, I'm going to get older dd more gifts due to the price difference being so dramatic.

I try to stick with similar budget between the 2 of them, but this year it won't be quite so easy. The MacBook is going to cost about $1200, where the Hamilton ticket was only about $250. The trip cost will be on top of the of course, but I don't really count that as part of her gift since it's all of us going. So I'm planning on spending at least a couple hundred more dollars on her and calling it even. Just trying to figure out another fairly big gift for her, which could be difficult, lol.

Then their birthdays are within a couple weeks of Christmas too... they've both been asking to do a DNA test (I did one for myself, which got them interested in themselves), so thinking of either doing that for each of them at a cost of about $75... or making a giftcard tree with $5-$10 gift cards to multiple local places that they like to frequent for a cost of about $75-100 each.

But anyways, overall between Christmas and birthdays, I'll probably be spending about $2000 for both of them.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Well this year DS is only getting about $75 worth of things (although thanks to used bookstores and coupons i didn't pay anywhere near that!) but to be fair he will only be about a month old and have no clue what's going on!

I more or less just wanted to chime in and say don't worry too much about how your holiday budget compares to others'. A lot of people might seem like they spend a lot on their kids, but their kids might get a lot less throughout the year and vice versa. I had two friends growing up- their families both had the same amount of kids and had similar income levels- but their Christmases varied drastically. One friend would have HUGE Christmases. His family would always get him the newest game system, several games, brand name clothes, etc. Not to mention they would spend tons on decorations (they did a huge Christmas display each year), baking and hosting several holiday parties, etc. But the thing was, they budgeted for it all year, and barely did anything else. Their family simply LOVED Christmas and went all out, so the kids got everything they would have gotten all year on one day. Any time they asked for anything throughout the year the response was always "Well, put it on your Christmas list" and they were fine with that!

The other family had a more balanced Christmas, maybe a $150-$200 limit per kid (if that, might have been lower). Mostly the kids got one wishlist gift and a few outfits, maybe some makeup for the girls, and that was it. However, that friend got a lot more throughout the year when she needed or wanted something. Their kids were happy with that, too! Just a matter of personal preference and what they grew up with/ are used to I think.

I'm interested to see what other families spend, since like I said DS will only be a newborn this year I have no clue what we will spend in future years when he's more aware!

 

[scottmel]

I have only one child and never have a budget. THis year i am surprising her with 2 mini vacations but hard to count that since we all benefit. We are going to Aulani this summer for 10 days so I did tell them Christmas might be lighter this year b/c what do we need? She is a freshman in college and SO EASY to buy for. She gets excited if you give her 20 bucks type of kid so I couldn't even guess what I spend but maybe 500 or 600 some years more just depends. I only have one child though so makes a big difference!

 

[Lvsdisney]

We set a budget of $150 per kid. (DD4 and DS7).

We have 10 nieces/nephews that I set a $25 budget for and also 3 kids of my best friends.

 

[jen7233]

Admittedly, I don't have a per child budget. We have elementary aged kids at home. This year, I have budgeted $1200 (gifts) for kids and family. That would include our two kids at home, a grown child that does not live at home, a grandchild, my mom, and then DH's family which include in-laws and brothers/sisters. That amount doesn't include what gifts DH and I exchange. Overall, all gifts, decorations, food, etc. that deals with Christmas I'll say is going to end up about $1800-$2000.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Just a suggestion. For those of you with younger kids. Cut your gift spending for them by just a bit ( $25, $50 or $100) and instead put that amount in an account for college. When grandparents ask what they want for Christmas or birthdays, ask them to buy a less expensive gift too and also contribute an amount to this account.

It doesn't sound like much. But over the years it will all add up. Plus interest! And you already admit that so many toys get played with for just a few weeks!

Imagine their surprise when they are getting ready to go to college and you say " hey guess what! Every Christmas we gave you one fewer present to open, which you never missed, and instead we put $100 in this account. And one set of grandparents put in $50 every Christmas. And the other grandparents put in $25 every Christmas. And aunt Jan put in $20 every Christmas. And your godparents put in $20 every Christmas. We all decided our gift could be one fewer student loan you will have to take out!" Have all the people who contributed sign a card. TA DAH! Perfect gift.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I usually don't have a set budget... it just all depends on what gift ideas pop into my mind each year. I sock money away from each paycheck through the year and usually end up with about $1500 to spend on both daughters. Some years I stay under that, some I got a little over.

This year, it's definitely going to be an "over" year. But I'm not fretting about it. I've been a single mom for 4 years now with absolutely no help from their dad (unable to contribute, long story I'm not going to go into)... But I work hard for my money being an RN, and Christmas time is when I like to spoil my daughters.

So this year, younger daughter (freshman in HS) is going to get a MacBook 12 inch, that she'll be able to use at school. And she'll get some accessories for it to go along with that. And I've gotten her a couple pretty candle holders and will get her a giftcard to bath&body works because she loves that place.

Older daughter (Junior in HS) is getting a ticket to go see Hamilton in Chicago. We're going to make it a family weekender trip with my mom, but just older dd and I will be seeing the show.
I cannot wait for her to get that one, cause she is going to flip, lol. Even though the WOW factor on the MacBook and the ticket will be the same, I'm going to get older dd more gifts due to the price difference being so dramatic.

I try to stick with similar budget between the 2 of them, but this year it won't be quite so easy. The MacBook is going to cost about $1200, where the Hamilton ticket was only about $250. The trip cost will be on top of the of course, but I don't really count that as part of her gift since it's all of us going. So I'm planning on spending at least a couple hundred more dollars on her and calling it even. Just trying to figure out another fairly big gift for her, which could be difficult, lol.

Then their birthdays are within a couple weeks of Christmas too... they've both been asking to do a DNA test (I did one for myself, which got them interested in themselves), so thinking of either doing that for each of them at a cost of about $75... or making a giftcard tree with $5-$10 gift cards to multiple local places that they like to frequent for a cost of about $75-100 each.

But anyways, overall between Christmas and birthdays, I'll probably be spending about $2000 for both of them.

The DNA tests usually have a Black Friday deal or some sale around that time

 

[TwoMisfits]

Just a suggestion. For those of you with younger kids. Cut your gift spending for them by just a bit ( $25, $50 or $100) and instead put that amount in an account for college. When grandparents ask what they want for Christmas or birthdays, ask them to buy a less expensive gift too and also contribute an amount to this account.

It doesn't sound like much. But over the years it will all add up. Plus interest! And you already admit that so many toys get played with for just a few weeks!

Imagine their surprise when they are getting ready to go to college and you say " hey guess what! Every Christmas we gave you one less present to open, which you never missed, and instead we put $100 in this account. And one set of grandparents put in $50 every Christmas. And the other grandparents put in $25 every Christmas. And aunt Jan put in $20 every Christmas. And your godparents put in $20 every Christmas. We all decided our gift could be one less student loan you will have to take out!" Have all the people who contributed sign a card. TA DAH! Perfect gift.

We do that for all cash gifts - we tell the kids that they go in the college funds and we also match them, so they get double for not spending the gifts...it works great for religious ceremonies (communion, confirmation). The other thing I do is I match the gift for all 4 of my kids...since we don't ever get a lot of cash (the most we've ever gotten at one time was $500), it lets me make sure they are all getting the same amount, and one ceremony didn't "hit big" vs another. I can't afford to do monthly gives to these funds, but by saving and matching small gifts, my new HSer does have enough for 1 1/2 years paid for any state university (we are aiming to finish with 2 full years paid for each kid and my high school graduation gift will be the other 2 years)...right now, we're on track for that with each kid...

And they know, if they get full rides, the fund and my gift becomes a new car and insurance (and I'll pass the fund money between the next kids...and if there's any left at the end, it will become my senior citizen master's fund)...

 

[DLmama]

We have DS9 and don't really set a budget, but I try to keep it around $200-$300. As he gets older, his tastes get more expensive, so his gifts get fewer. We also have 3 nephews and 1 niece, which I try to keep around $20-$30 per kid.

 

[MomToOne]

DD17:
$450 under-the-tree budgeted, so far I've spent just over $500. But some of that is clothing that I probably should have bought her at the beginning of school, so I figure I'm still on budget.
$150 stocking budgeted, so far I've spent $200. Again, some of that is for things I probably should buy her outright, but instead I wrap them up to fill the stocking So I'm good with it. I have a high stocking budget because we travel for Christmas so we do under the tree gifts the weekend before and all DD gets Christmas day is her stocking. So I like to have some Wow in there.

As you can see, hopefully I'm done shopping for DD!

Nephews age 17, 20: Will spend $75-100 on each

Gifts for Misc other people: Around $200 total

Travel to see family for Christmas (plane tickets, rental car, hotel, cat boarding, parking, misc): just under $2000. And I got pretty good deals on everything this year - normally it's higher. So this is the real budget buster for me.

 

[mrssmith06]

Usually around $400 each for our 10 and 14 year olds.

$15-20 each for nieces, nephews, etc of various ages.

 

[chewysmom]

Just a suggestion. For those of you with younger kids. Cut your gift spending for them by just a bit ( $25, $50 or $100) and instead put that amount in an account for college. When grandparents ask what they want for Christmas or birthdays, ask them to buy a less expensive gift too and also contribute an amount to this account.

It doesn't sound like much. But over the years it will all add up. Plus interest! And you already admit that so many toys get played with for just a few weeks!

Imagine their surprise when they are getting ready to go to college and you say " hey guess what! Every Christmas we gave you one fewer present to open, which you never missed, and instead we put $100 in this account. And one set of grandparents put in $50 every Christmas. And the other grandparents put in $25 every Christmas. And aunt Jan put in $20 every Christmas. And your godparents put in $20 every Christmas. We all decided our gift could be one fewer student loan you will have to take out!" Have all the people who contributed sign a card. TA DAH! Perfect gift.

This is such wonderful advice! I only wish we had done it. Dd is checking out and applying to colleges now, and dh and I are wondering how on earth to pay for it. I hate the idea of going back into debt, and I really don’t want her graduating with a lot of debt either...

Now, where is that time machine? If I could find it, I’d go back and kick my own butt. Lol

Sorry, didn’t mean to derail the thread.

 

[Hikergirl]

I don't really have a budget but I try to stay under $500 per kid. Most years that is possible.

 

[HHMcG]

I would guess we spend about $400 per kid (including gift from Santa). We don't set a budget just buy things we know they will use. Oldest is usually slightly more and youngest is slightly less. Youngest toys are cheaper and he gets more hand me downs. Kids are 11, 10 & 6 and all still believe or act like they do. Typical Christmas for our middle child:

Big gift (say bike) - $150
toy (medium Lego or Nerf) - $40
Clothes (I lump together whatever winter clothes they need) - $50
Unusual gift (last year was personalized Fathead) - $60
small odds and ends (like PJs, watch, pokemon cards, basketball an, stocking stuffers) - $100

Santa brings the one big gift. We give a set # of gifts (5-7) because we just don't want alot more stuff in the house and aren't as concerned about how much it costs if it is something they will like/use.

 

[mfleeting]

We use to spend a lot on our kids but a couple years ago backed off and decided on more trips. This year we are buying wireless headphones, a few small things, a new iPhone (that we will do payments on), and six flags season passes. We also take them to Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas and we’re going to Disneyland for Thanksgiving so those are considered parts of their Christmas as well. Luckily besides the trips and phones we should get off under $500 for them both.